The one who undertakes the sacred vow of listening to the story of the Goddess must observe certain disciplines. He should abstain from eating pumpkin, leafy greens, and similar foods, and more importantly, he must renounce inner impurities such as desire, anger, pride, greed, hypocrisy, and arrogance. During this period, he should avoid associating or conversing with those who harbor hatred for Brahmins, as well as with outcastes, dog-eaters, Yavanas, Chandalas, menstruating women, or those who stand outside the Vedic tradition. It is essential that he does not listen to slander directed at the Vedas, cows, teachers, Brahmins, women, kings, the great, the gods, or the devotees of the gods. Instead, he should cultivate humility, straightforwardness, purity, compassion, measured speech, and a noble mind. This sacred story is meant for all—those who are barren, have only one child, are unfortunate, have lost a child, or are poor and without offspring. Even women whose pregnancies have ended prematurely are encouraged to listen to this story with devotion. Whoever desires dharma, wealth, pleasure, or liberation—without great effort—should diligently hear the Bhāgavata of the Goddess. The days spent in hearing this story are as meritorious as days spent in performing ritual sacrifices. Whatever is given, offered, or recited during these days brings infinite rewards. Therefore, the vow should be observed for nine days, culminating in a concluding rite, just as is done by those who observe the great aṣṭamī vow in pursuit of its fruits. Even those without worldly desires become purified and attain liberation simply by hearing this story, for the supreme Goddess bestows both enjoyment and liberation upon people. Each day, the book and the speaker of the story should be worshipped, and the offering given by the speaker should be accepted with devotion. Success is assured for one who daily worships, feeds, and prays to young girls, married women, and Brahmins. At the conclusion of the recitation, the thousand names of Gāyatrī or the thousand names of Viṣṇu may be recited to remove all faults. By remembering and uttering the name of Viṣṇu, any deficiency in austerities, sacrifices, or rites is made complete; thus, Viṣṇu should be praised. At the conclusion, a fire offering should be performed using the seven hundred mantras of the Goddess, or the root mantra of the Devī Māhātmya, or the nine-letter mantra. Alternatively, the fire offering may be done with the Gāyatrī mantra, using rice pudding with ghee, for this Bhāgavata is said to be pervaded by Gāyatrī herself. The speaker should be pleased with proper gifts—garments, ornaments, and wealth—for when the speaker is satisfied, all deities are pleased as well. Brahmins should be fed with devotion and satisfied with gifts, for they are the embodiments of the gods on earth, and their satisfaction brings the fulfillment of all desires. Likewise, married women and young girls should be fed with devotion to the Goddess, and after giving them gifts, one should pray for one’s own success. Other gifts—such as gold, milch cows, horses, elephants, and land—should be given, for the rewards thus gained are inexhaustible. The Devī Bhāgavata, written in beautiful script, should be placed upon a golden throne and wrapped in silk cloth. On the eighth or ninth day, after worshipping the speaker, one should offer him enjoyment; after enjoying the fruits here, he attains the rare liberation. Whether one is poor, weak, young, youthful, or even aged, anyone who knows the Purāṇas or is a physician should always be respected and honored. Among the many teachers in the world, born of virtue, the knower of the Purāṇas is the supreme teacher. A Brāhmaṇa learned in the Purāṇas, seated on Vyāsa’s seat, should not bow to anyone during the discourse until it is completed. Those who listen to the divine Purāṇic story without devotion gain no merit and remain subject to suffering and poverty. Those who listen to the Goddess’s story without first honoring the Purāṇa with offerings such as betel or flowers truly become poor. Those who, abandoning the recited story, go elsewhere, lose their enjoyments, and their spouses and wealth perish. Those who arrogantly sit on high seats while listening to the story suffer the torments of hell and are reborn as crows. Those who sit on low or heroic seats become birds dwelling on arjuna trees. Those who utter harsh words during the recitation become donkeys here, and later, kites. Those who revile the knowers of the Purāṇas or the sin-destroying story become dogs for a hundred births, without doubt. Those who listen to the story while seated on the same seat as the speaker incur a sin as grave as violating the teacher’s bed and are consigned to hell. Those who listen without bowing become poisonous trees; those who listen while lying down become pythons. Men who never listen to the Purāṇic story, after suffering terrible hell, are born as village pigs. Those who do not approve of the story or wickedly create obstacles, after enduring hell for millions of years, are also born as village pigs. On the other hand, those who give a seat, vessel, wealth, fruit, clothes, or blanket to the knower of the Purāṇas attain the abode of Hari. Those who offer new silk cloth or auspicious thread even to the book of the Purāṇa become enjoyers of happiness. Whatever merit is gained from hearing any of the Purāṇas, a hundred times that merit is obtained from the Devī Bhāgavata. Just as among rivers the Gaṅgā is supreme, among gods Śaṅkara, among poems the Rāmāyaṇa, and among luminaries the sun—so too is the Devī Bhāgavata supreme among the Purāṇas.